Are we ready for app-only bank accounts? A growing number of firms think so

Bank staff might no longer recognise your face when you walk into a branch – but a banking app might.

Biometrics (the authentication of your face, voice or fingerprint) are among the futuristic features offered by a new breed of banks which reckon branch networks, call centres and websites are on the way out.

These days it’s all about the app and, in some cases, the app alone.

If you want to grab some of the best savings rates on offer, opening and running your account on your smartphone is your only option. Atom Bank is currently topping the tables for one and two-year fixed rate bonds (at 1.4 per cent and 1.55 per cent respectively) but doesn’t have branches or a website you can log into.

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The app-only bank promises ‘the future of banking, available today’.

But Atom isn’t the only bank with a cool slogan and big plans.